Dietary Pollutants & the Gut Microbiota with Jessie Hoffman, RD, PhD

*the podcast will be changing to every other week during the COVID-19 outbreak due to my interviewees busy schedules* Jessie is a registered dietitian with a PhD in nutritional sciences. Her graduate work researched the effects of nutritional components and environmental factors on gut health and cardiovascular disease. She has a passion for educating individuals about nutrition and the power of nourishing body and mind.  Jessie's overall goal is to make nutrition science attainable.  From breaking down nutrition science to busting myths that are so prevalent in today's society, she strives to empower individuals to become responsible consumers of social media content and experts on their own bodies. Jessie & I talk about: in animal models, how pollutants interact with the microbiome & overall host health polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB's) as a persistent pollutant how we are exposed to PCB's (primarily fish, fatty meats, & fatty dairy products) how PCB's influence the mouse microbiota  how PCB's influenced inflammation and 'leaky gut' (gut permeability) how dietary fibre (inulin) helped to attenuate these changes in the gut microbiota inulin increased good bacteria Jessies big take-away message for humans & PCB's why humans are NOT rats, but what we can change in our diet to have positive health outcomes pesticides & the gut microbiota conventional versus organic produce - what should you choose? Want to learn more from Jessie? Follow her on Instagram at @jessiehoffman_phd